The Baptist View of Baptism Destroys the Meaning of Baptism

Tree of Life

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Baptism is a sign and seal of regeneration.

Regeneration is a saving act of God wherein man is totally passive. God removes the heart of stone and gives him a heart of flesh. Man cannot regenerate himself nor participate in his own regeneration. Baptism is an outward sign of regeneration. That is its meaning.

But baptists say that only adults may be baptized because only adults have the ability to understand the gospel, repent, and believe. This emphasizes not God's monergistic action in regenerating a person, but man's response to God and his participation in his salvation.

The Reformed view of baptism captures the meaning of baptism much better. Seeing an infant who has no ability to repent and believe be baptized testifies to us that regeneration is an act of God alone which does not require man's participation.
 

Tree of Life

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Furthermore, baptists will say that a person who was baptized as an infant should be baptized again as an adult professing their faith.

But baptism is a sign of regeneration, and regeneration is something that only happens once.

Thus rebaptism also destroys the meaning of baptism.
 
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~Zao~

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I don’t think it’s only baptists that say that. Many Pentecostals and Charismatics among others also don’t agree with infant baptism. Regeneration has been known to be equivalent to being born again. Nicodemus was told no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.
John 1:12
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
 
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~Zao~

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Dedication of an infant is a ceremony that the parents are committing themselves to in bringing up a child in the way of God to the point that they can make the entry in the Kingdom from hearing. And in hearing they receive and in receiving they dedicate themselves thru baptism.
 
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Tree of Life

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I don’t think it’s only baptists that say that. Many Pentecostals and Charismatics among others also don’t agree with infant baptism. Regeneration has been known to be equivalent to being born again. Nicodemus was told no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.
John 1:12
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

Pentecostals and Charismatics are baptists with bells and whistles.
 
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Tree of Life

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The problem is that they won't believe one is born again through baptism.

One is not born again through baptism, but through the work of the Holy Spirit when, where, and how he pleases. Baptism is only a sign and a seal of the work of the Spirit.
 
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thecolorsblend

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One is not born again through baptism, but through the work of the Holy Spirit when, where, and how he pleases. Baptism is only a sign and a seal of the work of the Spirit.
Not really though. Baptism now saves you.
 
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Phil W

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Baptism is a sign and seal of regeneration.

Regeneration is a saving act of God wherein man is totally passive. God removes the heart of stone and gives him a heart of flesh. Man cannot regenerate himself nor participate in his own regeneration. Baptism is an outward sign of regeneration. That is its meaning.

But baptists say that only adults may be baptized because only adults have the ability to understand the gospel, repent, and believe. This emphasizes not God's monergistic action in regenerating a person, but man's response to God and his participation in his salvation.

The Reformed view of baptism captures the meaning of baptism much better. Seeing an infant who has no ability to repent and believe be baptized testifies to us that regeneration is an act of God alone which does not require man's participation.
Where did you get this from?

Jesus said..."He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved."
Is belief as unnecessary as baptism in your thesis on regeneration?
And you have forgotten about our repentance from sin; a man accomplished deed vital to the reception of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38)

BTW, babies have nothing to repent of, so what sins would they be washed of?
 
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Jonaitis

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I suppose this is a thread I should join.
Baptism is a sign and seal of regeneration.

I agree that baptism is a sign of regeneration, but so does the mode. :D

Regeneration is a saving act of God wherein man is totally passive. God removes the heart of stone and gives him a heart of flesh. Man cannot regenerate himself nor participate in his own regeneration. Baptism is an outward sign of regeneration. That is its meaning.

But Baptists say that only adults may be baptized because only adults have the ability to understand the gospel, repent, and believe. This emphasizes not God's monergistic action in regenerating a person, but man's response to God and his participation in his salvation.

The Reformed view of baptism captures the meaning of baptism much better. Seeing an infant who has no ability to repent and believe be baptized testifies to us that regeneration is an act of God alone which does not require man's participation.

Your first problem here is that you just said baptism is a sign of regeneration, so why do you baptize infants before they are regenerated? If I am understanding it right, I thought it occurred by the Holy Spirit under the ordinary means of preaching.

Second, you claim that paedobaptism captures the monergistic parallelism better than credobaptists simply because regeneration is outside of the recipient's consent/participation, just as infants are baptized without their consent/participation. My response is this: who baptizes themselves? I mean, the minister baptizes the layperson. If we want to talk about parallelism, this still applies...


Furthermore, Baptists will say that a person who was baptized as an infant should be baptized again as an adult professing their faith.

But baptism is a sign of regeneration, and regeneration is something that only happens once.

Thus rebaptism also destroys the meaning of baptism.

First, if an unbeliever was not baptized then their baptism was not legitimate. "Those who do actually profess repentance towards God, faith in, and obedience to, our Lord Jesus Christ, are the only proper subjects of this ordinance" (2LBC 29:2).

Second, the mode and formula of baptism matters, not just the outward element of water. In most Reformed churches, baptism is often done by sprinkling the individual instead of immersing them. The Greek word for 'baptizo' means immersion (and I don't claim to know Greek). It is further evident when it is used in connection to the practice of dunking/immersion found in the New Testament, such as this one:

"And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him" (Matt. 3:16).

In the LXX, baptizo is the same word used for Namaan who was told to dip himself in the Jordan river seven times for his leprosy to be cleansed.

So, if the mode, formula, and elements necessary for the ordinance aren't done properly, we cannot conclude that such an individual was truly baptized.
 
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Not David

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One is not born again through baptism, but through the work of the Holy Spirit when, where, and how he pleases. Baptism is only a sign and a seal of the work of the Spirit.
You get the seal of the Spirit when you are born again.
 
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Mark Quayle

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Baptism is a sign and seal of regeneration.

Regeneration is a saving act of God wherein man is totally passive. God removes the heart of stone and gives him a heart of flesh. Man cannot regenerate himself nor participate in his own regeneration. Baptism is an outward sign of regeneration. That is its meaning.

But baptists say that only adults may be baptized because only adults have the ability to understand the gospel, repent, and believe. This emphasizes not God's monergistic action in regenerating a person, but man's response to God and his participation in his salvation.

The Reformed view of baptism captures the meaning of baptism much better. Seeing an infant who has no ability to repent and believe be baptized testifies to us that regeneration is an act of God alone which does not require man's participation.
Not to discourage you, but there is such a thing as Reformed Baptist, that would still use pretty much the words you say the Baptists use. They by no means claim Baptism has anything to do with causing salvation nor indicating that man has a part in his own salvation. To them, it is a sign by the repentant person, not even a seal. They just want it to be a real testimony, not the act of an ignorant child.

However they do not see infant baptism as valid, within the authority of the father of the family of that child.
 
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Jonaitis

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Not to discourage you, but there is such a thing as Reformed Baptist, that would still use pretty much the words you say the Baptists use. They by no means claim Baptism has anything to do with causing salvation nor indicating that man has a part in his own salvation. To them, it is a sign by the repentant person, not even a seal. They just want it to be a real testimony, not the act of an ignorant child.

However they do not see infant baptism as valid, within the authority of the father of the family of that child.

I attempted to ignore that jab. I really don't care about labels, they are only important for descriptions. If they want the name so bad, they can have it.
 
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Ttalkkugjil

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It can happen that way. That does not mean that Baptism is doctrinally, Scripturally, necessary for salvation.

It's necessary but it isn't absolutely necessary.
 
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